Judith the Halflander
by GorimJr
Summary: For years, tension has been building between the Spinners and the Humans. Now, with Vikus dead, a new Spinner queen, and Luxa and Gregor missing, can Judith, Hamnet and friends fulfill their destinies? Gluxa, BootsxHazard, and lots of OCs.
1. In Which A Good Man Dies

Okay! I got it up! It's not very long, and I apologize for that, but the laptop I was writing it on was loosing battery FAST, and The Soup was on. So... Yeah...

So, I hope you all like it.

Oh, by the way, That Which Is Lost won Best Fanfic on an Underland Forum. So, bow. Bow and exalt. I am Miss Baltimore Crabs.

?

Don't ask.

--

The city of Regalia was silent. Fliers slept in their caves. Men, women and children all slept soundly, which was normal for that time of the day, about 5:00 a.m.

Gregor woke up and knew something was wrong.

He never could explain how he knew, but he did.

He looked around the bedroom anxiously. He couldn't place it, but something woke him up. And something was sending a shiver down his spine. He nervously fell back to sleep.

Two hours later, they all awoke to the news that Vikus was on his deathbed.

Gregor and Luxa walked into Solovet and Vikus' apartment. Solovet was sitting at the window in a white dress, which was the pre-mourning color in the Underland. If a loved one was sick, or gravely injured, the friends and family wore white, to symbolize the thought that they would go into the light to heaven. After they died, the family wore the color of mourning, black.

Gregor and Luxa also wore white, Gregor in a white shirt and pants, Luxa in a white sleeveless dress. Solovet made no sign that she'd heard them come in. She just continued to stare out the window, eastward, a blank look on her face.

"She has been like that for nearly an hour." Ajax said softly, fluttering up from behind Gregor and Luxa. "She will speak to no one, not even me." The blood-red bat looked worriedly at his bond, who just continued to stare.

"Can we go in, Ajax?" Luxa asked softly. Ajax nodded mutely. Luxa took Gregor's hand, and they walked into the bedroom.

Vikus looked terrible. Very thin, and pale. His breathing looked painful, but he smiled when the walked in. "Hello, my children," he said weakly. "I do not look very good, do I?" Luxa smiled thinly.

"Hey, Vikus," Gregor said, taking Vikus' hand. Vikus smiled at him.

"Hello, Gregor. I am afraid it is almost my time." Luxa took Vikus' other hand with a shaky breath. Vikus turned and smiled at her as well. "Where is Solovet?"

"She is not responsive right now, Grandfather." Luxa said. Gregor irrationally realized that that was one of the few times she had ever called him that.

"We're gonna miss you." Gregor said shakily.

Vikus sighed, then had a coughing fit that left him unable to even lift his head.

Luxa winced. Euripedes fluttered over, looking heartbroken. Gregor squeezed Vikus' hand.

"Make sure," Vikus said, panting, "That you try your best. All of you. And stay true to Hamnet's words. Do not use violence to solve violence." Luxa nodded numbly. "I love you all." Vikus said softly.

Five minutes later, Vikus was dead.

Luxa stood up, her face pale and calm. She smoothed the covers on the bed.

"We will have to air the room out," she said absently. "Perhaps get some potpourri to freshen the air." Euripedes hunched over in grief. Luxa abruptly turned and buried her face in her shoulder. "Oh, Gregor!"

Gregor hugged her, his eyes finding a dark corner and staring at that, rather than his Grandfather-In-Law, or the flier hunched over across the bed, or his wife sobbing.

--

Regalia was in mourning. The entire city, and a great deal of The Fount, came for the funeral. Solovet stood at the head of the tomb, wearing thick black dress, Ajax standing behind her. Luxa, Gregor, Judith, Hamnet, Aurora, and Ares stood beside her.

Vikus was lowered into the white stone tomb. Everyone bowed their heads in silence as the guards closed the tomb. Susannah sobbed, and York, Howard and Stellovet hugged her, all the while crying silently.

The lid closed.

Vikus was gone.

--

Where do Underlanders get potpourri?


	2. In Which Gregor and Luxa Are Captured

Hey, everyone! Once again, this is a short chapter. Next chapter will be longer, I promise. I've got a whole thing going on for it. So, yeah. Here are the commment replies.

idestroyuall: Thanks! So much! I'm so glad you're reading this one, too! And thank you for the congrats, too!

X.S.L.: Nope. It's a full length story!

S.L: I am! Smelling salts, potpurri. Potato, Puhtato.

Odriew: XD For some reason, that made me laugh. Yesh, purrty short, but you know, I think everything that had to be said was said. Do your best for peace, I love you all... blaugh... We all love Vikus, though. WE LOVE YOU, VIKUS!

On Edge: Cool. I'm glad I got sadness across. Real emotion is sometimes hard to write, you know? XD Haha. No doubt.

Alright, here goes. I hope you like it! Next chapter will be up soon.

_Four months later…_

Gregor picked up the letter on the table. It had been sitting there for awhile, but no one had really cared about it. It was from the Spinners, and the good relations between the humans and the spiders had dwindled to near nothing.

Gregor read it blankly. "The Spinners Queen died." He said. "It doesn't say how." Luxa didn't even look up from her book. "Hey. Luxa." Gregor said a bit louder. Luxa looked up. "Spinners Queen died." Luxa just looked back to her book. Gregor sighed. "Didn't the council say that royalty is supposed to go and convey condolences? Or something?" Luxa snorted.

"Or something." She confirmed. "We are. I suppose." She sighed. "Well, then I guess we should notify Ares and Aurora." She got up from her chair so reluctantly that Gregor laughed.

"I'll go tell Hamnet and Judith we're going." Luxa nodded absently.

--

Judith ran her last lap around the arena, her breaths deep, but measured. She put her hands above her head and looked behind her. Her twin brother, Hamnet, jogged up behind her, huffing and puffing uneven breaths.

"You have to pace, Brother." Judith said, already breathing normally. Hamnet glared at her, gasping for breath.

"Listen to your sister, Hamnet." Gregor said, walking up from behind them. Judith grinned.

"Hello, Papa!" She said cheerfully. All around them, girls and boys were laying on their backs, gasping for air. "It looks like peace is making people lazy."

"Quiet, Judith!"

"Stop it, Judith!"

"I do not even know you!"

Judith laughed, and Gregor shook his head. "Look, kids. I got some… lukewarm news today." The children looked up at him curiously. "The Spinner Queen is dead, so your mom and I have to go and 'display our condolences'." He made little air quotes, looking extremely unenthusiastic.

"Can we go with you?" Hamnet asked casually. Gregor looked at him.

"If you asked your mom that, what would she say?" Hamnet pretended to think about it.

"She would say, 'Of course, my amazing and responsible children. You may go.'" He said. Gregor raised an eyebrow, obviously not amused.

"Nice try, but no." Gregor said shortly. "It's dangerous, and Luxa, Ares, Aurora and I all have a lot of experience. You, as 'responsible' children, should know you don't." Hamnet and Judith winced. "We're going to leave tomorrow, okay?" Hamnet and Judith nodded reluctantly. "Good. Now, pay attention in school, listen to Solovet when she tells you to pay attention to her, don't break any bones, and never, ever insult a flier. Get it?" His kids laughed and nodded.

"Got it."

"Good."

--

_The next day…_

Gregor, Luxa, Ares, and Aurora landed in front of the huge web castle of the Spinners.

"Are you two sure we should be here?" Ares asked, looking at the huge, guard-less castle apprehensively.

"Sure," the Queen answered slowly, noting the absence of guards. "Sure."

Gregor looked around, an uncomfortable feeling settling in his bones. "How do we say we're here? I mean, there's no guards or anything." No one answered him, obviously wondering the same thing.

Then, the fliers head jerked up.

"Are they coming?" Luxa asked. The fliers didn't answer, but they looked troubled.

"There are too many to simply be an escort," Ares said, moving closer to Gregor. Luxa turned to look at them, then drew her swords with a shout.

"Gregor! Ares! Behind you!"

They both turned, coming face-to-face with a huge, blood red spider, its jaws open wide. Hundreds more suddenly lowered at a frightening speed. Gregor's rager side immediately took over, and he drew his sword and dagger.

Neither of them had any time to fight, though.

Almost instantly, thin, strong lines of spiders web wrapped around Gregor and Luxa's mouth, wrists and ankles. They over-balanced and fell, their blades useless.

Ares' wings were pinned to his sides. He fell too, but Aurora still flew high in the air. She was about to make a desperate dive, but Ares' voice stopped her.

"Aurora! Fly!" He screamed desperately. Aurora stopped dodging strings of spiders web, but staring at Ares in shock. "You must go to Regalia! Tell them what has happened!" Luxa craned her neck to look at her bond, and nodded.

A string of sticky spiders web smacked Aurora in the wing, sizzling in an almost acidic way. Aurora shrieked.

"FLY!" Ares yelled before a piece of spiders silk gagged him. Aurora looked at her helpless friends, and, with tears in her eyes, nodded, and flew as fast as her damaged wing could take her.

--

See Aurora. See Aurora fly. Fly, Aurora, Fly.

Aurora: Oh, shut up.

Ares: FLY!

Aurora: I SAID, SHUSH IT!


	3. In Which The Questers Are Introduced

Since I updated earlier today, I'll update tomorrow and answer reviews then. This one's longer, and I kind of made a nod towards the Underland's odd way of placing all the responsibility on the shoulders of once innocent children. Why? When they have giant, intelligent, talking animals that we don't? Who knows? It's... just their thing, I guess. If I ever write a fantasy, the main character isn't going to be under 17. No way. I mean, seriously. Why? What's the deal with making hormonal teens the main characters, the one's who save the Earth/Netherworld? Why can't it be like the game Folklore, with the 25 year-old woman and the 40 year-old guy being the main characters? Teens are being complained about across the globe, and we're always the super-special-awesome heros in sci-fi/fantasy books. I mean, really. Have you ever read Ender's Game, people? 12. The kid saves the world from blood-sucking aliens, and he's 12. I just think the whole plot line's a little overused, you know?

(sigh) enjoy the chapter. I'll update soon, yes?

Judith sat at the crystal beach with her friend, Ares and Aurora's second child, Eris. The pale gold bat lounged on the beach, while Judith idly picked up pieces of crystal within her arms reach and inspected them. Neither of them talked.

"I wonder how long it will take for our parents to 'convey condolences'." Eris said, breaking the silence. Judith shrugged.

Suddenly, a rust red bat coasted in, gasping for breath.

"Hermes? What is it?" Eris said, righting herself.

"Aurora has just returned. She is in a critical condition. Babbling about spinners." Hermes gasped. Immediately, Judith was on Eris' back, and they were flying at top speed to the hospital.

--

Aurora was on her back, exhausted, a weird burn on her wing. Autolycus and Hamnet were already there, looking grim.

"How is she?" Eris asked.

"Not good," her brother answered. "They do not know what made the burn, but they think she is delirious. She keep saying the Spinners did this, but there is no known way a Spinner can create such a burn." Hamnet said nothing.

"Can we go see her?" Eris started to ask, but Judith was already in the room the golden flier was in.

Aurora did not look good. Her breathing was labored, she was obviously sick, and there was a horrific burn on the delicate skin of her wing. Judith wondered what could put her mother's bond in such a state so quickly. They had only been gone for a day or so.

The golden bat's eyes opened weakly, and focused blurrily on the 12 year-old.

"Judith," she said softly. "Judith, listen." Judith leaned in. Eris, Autolycus and Hamnet had entered by now, and were watching silently. "The Spinners," Aurora continued. "They ambushed us. I managed to escape, but Luxa and Gregor were pinned too quickly, and Ares was as well. You must find a way to get Solovet and the council to send help. I am too unreliable a witness to mean much of anything."

"Why? Why would they not listen to you?" Judith asked, flabbergasted. "You were there! You would know!"

"She has a fever, and is in pain, and shock," Hamnet said softly, looking pale. "Anything she said that happened could have easily been a fevered dream, or a hallucination."

"That's stupid!" Judith snapped angrily, lapsing into Overland English.

"Not really." Eris whispered. "We believe her, but that means nothing. We can fight, but…"

"We'll find a way!" Judith said to Eris, then turned back to Aurora. "We will!" Aurora smiled.

"You are your mother's daughter. No doubt a plan shapes in your head as we speak."

"It is probably a stupid one." Hamnet muttered. Judith glared at him.

"Ham-net!" She whined. Aurora laughed weakly, and fell asleep.

Judith stood, looking at her brother and friends grimly. "Well," she said. "If there is no way to get council help, we must go ourselves. But we will need help." Hamnet and the fliers looked at each other, then Hamnet spoke.

"We know some people. They can be trusted, and they are talented." Judith nodded.

"I'll get some supplies. We will met in the apartment." They all nodded, and speed out.

--

Judith had been in the museum several times, and her father had told her what he had always brought on his trips. So she grabbed three leather knapsacks and sped into the room filled with Overland items.

She grabbed her purple flashlight, and three others, of varying colors, along with a pound of fresh batteries. She also selected a thick roll of duct tape, and several bottles of water. After her trip to the museum, she nicked a small medical kit from the hospital wing, and several loaves of bread and several hunks of dried meat from the kitchen.

She went into the apartment about 15 minutes later, and inspected the people her brother had chosen for this quest.

First, standing behind him, was his bond-to-be, Luna. A small, quick, dirty-blonde bat with startling pale blue eyes, Luna often had a wide-eyed look on her face. Her voice was high and often had a dreamy tone to it. She often believed very, very odd things, like when Auto said there were giant beavers in Amestria, she'd honestly believed him until Hamnet had forced him to tell her the truth. But she loved Hamnet, and he truly cared about her. And Judith had to admit, she was nice.

Then there was Auto's bond and his older sister.

Auto's bond was Edward, a 15 year-old botanist with a long, kind face and bright blue-violet eyes. His white blonde hair brushed his shoulders, and he kept it tied back. His hands were completely covered in scars, because he took care of odd, often dangerous plants. He smiled cheerfully at Judith, and waved.

Underneath this cheerful demeanor, however, was a dangerous gambler. Somehow, somewhere, this kind young man had learned how to cheat mercilessly. Poker, dice, whatever. He could cheat at anything.

Sitting next to him was his older sister, Louka. Her white blonde hair was cut sharply at her jaw line, and her amethyst eyes were alive with curiousness. While her brother was tall and gangly, she was short and stocky, 5.1 at the most. Her fuse was short, particularly at the mention of her height, and she was, apparently, an up-and-coming doctor.

Behind her sat her bond, the bronze furred bat Juno. Juno was known throughout the Underland for been very outspoken, and blunt. She, like Louka, was small for her age. She had a much more mellow, though, and cheerful. She looked anything but now, though.

"So?" Louka said. "Hamnet has told us what happened. What are you planning? What do you want us to do?"

Judith looked at each of their faces in turn, then spoke.

"I have a plan. First, we must tell our Aunt Maggie at Amestria what has happened. Then, we must go through the deep tunnels to the Spinnners lands. We must save my parents."

They all were silent for a second. Then Juno spoke up.

"You do realize, Judith, that we are all children, and that no one honestly expects us to do this." Judith glared at the flier.

"We MUST! The council won't; Aurora's testimony is not enough."

"Why is that again?" Edward cut in.

"Aurora was fever-ridden when she came in, and her wounds are not like any Spinner wound we've ever seen." Hamnet supplied.

"We, what if it is not Spinners?" Louka asked. "What if it is some creature we have never seen before?"

"Like giant platypuses…" Luna said dreamily.

"IT WASN'T GIANT PLATYPUSES!" Judith shrieked. "IT WAS SPINNERS!" They all stared.

"Okay, okay," Edward said slowly. "It was Spinners." Judith sighed.

"You must trust me on this. My family has this kind of intuition. It's hereditary." They all nodded.

"Well then," Luna said cheerfully. "I shall go. When do we leave?" Judith shot her a grateful look.

"Hamnet and I shall await Edward and Louka in the old nursery. Auto and Eris shall show you fliers 'the place'." They all nodded. "We shall meet at midnight. Until then, act normal." She looked at Luna, who was humming absently. "Or about as normal as you can be… I guess."

--

Juno is me. Luna is who I was 2 years ago. I've matured... kind of.

Prepare for the super-special-awesome-ultra-sexy SARCASM coming from... RIPRED! That's right! Next chapter is Gregor, Luxa, Ares, and RIPRED! Plus, a deadly plot twist on Gregor's part.


	4. In Which I Explain A Few Things

Okay... I know I said I'd write about Ripred... But... I'm the author, and I wanted to write these. Mini Character Profiles. They mean nothing, but they might help you know who these guys are. Plus, this gives me more time to think about the story, which means better flow. Get it?

Here's the chapter review replies...

Chapter Two

idestroyuall: Yeah. You'll learn why soon

M.B.F.: OMG! XD I'm glad it made you laugh. And thanks. All flames shall be... used to burn off Henry's pants!

Henry: 0.0 ... The ladies LUUV Henry!

Yeah, sure, w/e

AresRocks: Yeah... I forgot why. Laziness?

B.B.S: XD yeah... They've gots a plan, tho'. I'm glad I make you laugh! Plus, not ALL of the rats are following Ripred, as you will see soon.

On Edge: Yeah... I noticed those after I posted. bangs head against wall Mental note, PROOF-READ! I'm gonna say... Aurora's slightly faster, and was able to dodge... while most of the spiders ganged up on Ares.

Chapter Three

idestroyuall: He's not a traitor. That's all I'm saying.

B.B.S.: I thought I was going overboard with the platypuses...

On Edge: O.O Whoa... fan-girlism? You? Scary... Thanks, tho'. I worked rather hard on them, but I don't think I was very clear about them... Whoa, you're Luna? Never pegged you as someone like that. Luna is based off of, not only me two years ago, but Luna Lovegood, from Harry Potter. I love that character...

Character Info: Judith the Halflander

--

Name: Judith

Age: 12

Species: Human

Gender: Female

Allegiance: Peace

Favorites: Airy places, Chocolate, the color purple

Dislikes: Spiders, snakes, unnecessary deaths

Hobbies: Flying with Eris, sparring, exploring caves

Things she's good at: sword-fighting, strategy, getting dressed fast (dress to armor in a flash!)

Family: Hamnet (twin), Gregor (father), Luxa (mother), Grace (Grandmother), Michael (Grandfather), Vikus (G-Grandfather, deceased), Solovet (G-Grandmother)

--

Name: Hamnet

Age: 12

Species: Human

Gender: Male

Allegiance: Peace

Favorites: Apples, blue tones, kooky people

Dislikes: Pessimists, greedy people, tight spaces

Hobbies: Studying, talking with Luna

Things he's good at: Lot's of things (No point in hiding it! I'm a master of XYZ!)

Family: Judith (twin), Gregor (father), Luxa (mother), Grace (Grandmother), Michael

(Grandfather), Vikus (G-Grandfather, deceased), Solovet (G-Grandmother)

--

Name: Louka

Age: 16

Species: Human

Gender: Female

Allegiance: Peace

Favorites: Pearl-pink tones, archery

Dislikes: People getting hurt, diseases she can't cure, people calling her short

Hobbies: Studying medicine

Things she's good at: Debating

Family: Edward (younger brother), father and mother deceased, Aunt, not appearing

--

Name: Edward

Age: 15

Species: Human

Gender: Male

Allegiance: Peace

Favorites: Earth-tones, stealth missions

Dislikes: People hurting plants, unfair status-quos

Hobbies: Gardening

Things he's good at: Identifying plants, cheating at various games

Family: Louka (older sister), father and mother deceased, Aunt, not appearing

--

Name: Eris

Age: 1 ½ years

Species: Flier

Gender: Female

Allegiance: Peace

Favorites: Fish, green tones, Judith

Dislikes: Clams, spiders, water

Hobbies: Reading

Things she's good at: Complicated aerial maneuvers

Family: Autolycus (Older brother), Ares (father), Aurora (mother)

--

Name: Autolycus

Age: 2 years

Species: Flier

Gender: Male

Allegiance: Peace

Favorites: Gambling with Edward, steel gray

Dislikes: Slimy things

Hobbies: Gambling

Things he's good at: Running, cheating

Family: Eris (Younger sister), Ares (father), Aurora (mother)

--

Name: Luna

Age: 1 year

Species: Flier

Gender: Female

Allegiance: Peace

Favorites: Clams, the whole color spectrum

Dislikes: Close-minded people, cold things

Hobbies: Day-dreaming, cooking weird foods (sometimes Overland stuff)

Things she's good at: Believing things no one else will

Family: Lives with mother and father, unnamed.

--

Name: Juno

Age: 2 years

Species: Flier

Gender: Female

Allegiance: Peace

Favorites: Meat, the color yellow

Dislikes: the "popular" fliers, bullies

Hobbies: Reading, writing, history

Things she's good at: Debate, writing

Family: Mother and Aunt, Father died in the War of Time

--

D Okey-Dokey! Tomorrow is the Ripred chapter... Yup-yup!


	5. In Which Ripred Appears

Alright! Here I am. And here's how Gregor and Luxa are doing. AAAND... RIPRED!

Audience: (CHEERS!)

But first... comment replies.

idestroyuall: ... No... just... no. XD GregorxStellovet just came to mind. OH, THE IMAGES!

Odriew: I'm just a natural comidian. A blessing and a curse.

Kassy: Hmm... XxFliersxEqualxLovexX? XD I dunno. The KassyLurvesFliers seems cool. OH, THE X'S! XD

B.B.S: Thanks! It's was kinda for you, plus, I love writing those things. Mini-profiles, you know? Why, thank you, Shayshaymura. Whoever you are...

taj: Hey, someone needed to die. And Vikus fits. Sorry.

Oh, and one a seperate note, I've got an idea for an original story.

Okay, here goes.

5 years ago, Autumn Murphy's mother was killed. The only thing Autumn knows is that "The Thing" was Supernatural in nature. So, after months of searching, she finds Rabia, a writer in downtown Seattle. His wiife was killed by the same thing, but right after they meet, they're killed, and their souls go to Karnet, the land of the Fae, created by people's imagination. Soon after they land, they are discovered by the Falconites, the falcon people who worship the Fae of Fall and the Higher Fae of Air, and the Wolf people, who worship the Higher Fae of Earth. They are taken by the Falonite General, who swore an oath to protect them, to the minor Fae palace, where Fae royalty live. There, they meet Illumina, the Queen's niece, and they learn why they went to Karnet and not Heaven. The Thing attacking their families was a sign that they're souls are The Stars, a group of four men and women chosen by Mother Earth and Father Time to be the warriors of the Elemental Fae

In the Fae world, Royalty is minor. The Higher Fae are the ones that control Water, Fire, Earth and Air. Those Fae's children rule the Seasons. Air's son takes care of Fall, Earth's daughter takes care of Spring, Fire's son rules Summer, and Water's son rules Winter. Fall and Spring have little stero-typical fairys to help with the blooming of the plants and changing the color of the leaves. Autumn is, no duh, the Sorcercess of Fall, while Rabia is the Knight of Spring.

The other two, the Winter Sorceress and the Summer Knight, come up later.

By the way, all the main characters are over 18. Autumn's 23, Rabia's 34. And the others are similar. The Falconite General, Skree, is about... 130. XD My brain likes Skree.

What do you think?

Oh, and please enjoy the new chapter. :)

_Chapter Four: In Which Ripred Appears and Gregor Get's Hurt_

Gregor hung a few feet off the ground, upside down, in a Spinner web cocoon. He'd been hanging there for hours. The cords were laced around him so tightly he could barely breathe. He hoped Luxa and Ares weren't having as much trouble.

He wondered vaguely what Luxa would look like, when they got out, _if _they got out. If he looked like a apple, she'd probably look like a cheery, or a tomato.

_So hungry…_ He groaned inwardly. _Last time we were captured, they treated us decently. Now we're hanging upside down from the rafters. What's up with that?_

He hung there a little while longer, sulking, until a miracle appeared.

And in this case, the "miracle" was a sarcastic, grumpy, yet suitably concerned, rat. Ripred.

Gregor slammed into the ground, hard. Sharp fangs sliced through the web. Gregor stayed on the ground for a minute, catching his breath, as Ripred went and freed Luxa and Ares. Gregor could tell who was who, because Ares' cocoon was about ten sizes bigger than Luxa's.

"You all alright?" Ripred asked after all of them were out of the cocoons.

"Yeah," Gregor said, standing. "I think s- _Whoa_, that's were all my blood was," he muttered, swaying slightly as the blood rushed out of his head. He looked at Luxa, and almost laughed when he saw that she was bright, bright red.

Ripred snickered. "Good. Because I kind of had to bash a few heads to get in here, and sooner or later, the Spinners are bound to notice a big ol' line of dead spiders." He nudged Luxa and Ares until they got up, then looked at them critically. "You don't look _too _bad, I guess." Then he glared slightly. "You didn't put up much of a fight, did you?"

Luxa looked outraged. "We tried!" She snapped. Ripred snorted, which only fueled her indignation. "They outnumbered us! And there was some new type of web which they shot at Aurora, and-" Ripred's tail bopped her on the head.

"Since we're of equal status, Your Highness, it doesn't matter," Ripred muttered before Luxa could flip out over him bopping her. "But on a different note… There _has _been talk about that…" Luxa perked up.

"About what? The strange web?" She asked, but before Ripred could answer, a strange sound hit their ears. Like a shrill vibration.

"Damn! We're out of time. I'll explain later." Ripred said quickly. "Luxa, Gregor, get on Ares. I'll run. They know we're here, and I don't really feel like fighting giant spiders who may or may not have acidic spit."

Gregor and Luxa swung up on Ares. Only then, when he tried to draw it, did Gregor notice his sword had been taken. Ares took off quickly, and they were flying through tunnels made of the spider web, like hardened silk. Ripred ran underneath them, very nearly keeping up; he was only a few feet behind.

Spider goo flew out from all directions. Ares couldn't dodge all of them, and some hit the bat, hissing. Gregor felt Ares tense, but the flier determinedly continued, dodging all he could.

Finally, many acid burns and sharp turns and close calls later, Ares flew out into open air.

Almost immediately, Gregor and Luxa were thrown off, pounced on by spinners.

Gregor fought. He clawed and bit and kicked. And he did do some damage. But what happened next was too sudden for him to defend.

--

Ares darted around, trying to pick up and squish Spinners without being burned. There were dozens, and more where they came from.

Luxa's scream caught his attention. He whirled around.

A huge, black spider with a red, hourglass-shaped red spot on it's thorax, was behind Gregor. It's jaws opened wide. It would be fast.

But Ares was slightly faster.

The black bat slammed desperately into the spider. There was, however, still a spurt of blood. The Spinner's jaws connected, but not in the neck, which was it's target. Ares couldn't see where it's bite had hit though.

Gregor slammed against the stone ground, and then was very still. Ripred snarled, threw Gregor onto Ares back, chucked Luxa after, and bellowed, "FLY!" Ares flew. He flew until bright, multi-colored spots obstructed his vision. Then, Ripred yelled, "STOP!" And he collapsed, gasping for air.

He blacked out.

When he came to, it could have been minutes, even hours after, there was a fire going. Ares didn't recognize where they were. Ripred was talking to Luxa next to the campfire. They noticed that he woke up.

"Morning," the Gnawer said. "You're a fast one alright." Ares looked around, ignoring Ripred.

"Where is Gregor?" He asked quietly. Ripred exchanged glances with Luxa.

"Well… he's right there," Ripred said, and pointed.

Gregor was on the ground, very pale, and covered with a blanket. For a horrifying moment, Ares thought the man was dead. Then he realized he was only unconscious.

"Where did the blanket come from?" He asked.

"I nicked it," Ripred said casually. Then Ares remembered.

"The Spinner!" He said quickly. "It bit him!"

"Yes, we know." Ripred said coolly. "Thanks to you, however, the bite didn't connect to his throat." And Ripred lifted Gregor's shirt.

On Gregor side were two large, gruesome, oozing holes. All around it was an odd, purple discoloration. Ares' blood ran cold.

"But we're not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing yet." The Gnawer finished. "You see, that spider is of a particularly deadly variety. In the Overland, it's called a Black Widow, and it's extremely deadly there too. If it'd bitten Gregor on the neck, like it was trying to, the poison (That's that discoloration there) would have immediately gone up into his brain and killed him instantly. Now, instead…" Ripred sighed. "He's got three days at the most, and his death isn't nearly as easy."

Ares' shoulders slumped. "What do you mean?"

"Well, there's something about the poison. I'm not sure if it's like this in the Underland, probably not, but this poison, if it doesn't get to the brain, well circle around the body, and it only reacts to the spinal cord, lungs, and heart. Some chemical is only found in those places."

"How do you know so much about this?" Luxa whispered, her face pale, her hand squeezing Gregor's.

"Silverclaw had me study it. Figured it'd be worth it at some point. Which, I suppose, she was correct about." Ripred sighed again. "We have to be quick. He's got a nasty bump on the head, that's why he's not conscious, but it's nothing to worry about. But we have to get him to Regalia. Only that hospital has the anti-venom."

"Well…" A quiet voice said. "We'd better start moving." Gregor stood up, wobbly, but alive and awake. "No time to waste, yes? I'm fine. Let's start now."


	6. SemiUrgent! Plz read!

Hey, everybody. I've got some bad news.

Well, not necessarily _bad _news, but some not-so-good news at least.

My brain does weird stuff. It an only make good fan fiction if it's totally devoted to the story in question.

Recently, my obsession hasn't been Gregor the Overlander, it's been an awesome little Japanese gothic comic called D.Gray-Man (I encourage you all to look. The format takes some getting used to, but it's very good). So, I haven't been able to think up stuff about Gregor, Ares, and Cut-throat Bitch. I mean, Luxa! ;)

In addition, I'm trying to get my Science grade up, so that I can get a new computer come Summer Hols, but there's only two weeks left, so I got to work my butt off. Then there's getting my High School schedule, wrangling in all my school books (they're due tomorrow), and thinking up some sort of plot line for my original story, which has been sitting for a couple months.

Yeah… so… my paper plate is full right now. I promise I'll get back to this. Definitely. At some point, I'll get back into TUC. Sometime after Summer Hols start.

Until then, Judith the Halflander, since it's actually got a plot, is officially on Hiatus. Because I officially have the dreaded writers block.

100 Moments is okay. They have not a plot.

I will also take writing commissions on TUC. Just PM me a oneshot storyline, and I'll do it.


	7. In Which The Colonel Helps Judith

**I'm baaack.**

**Recently, I was speaking with some friends and one mentioned that TUC fanfiction was starting to die out. So...**

**From now on, I vow, as a TUC fanfiction writer, to update frequently, and review stuff.**

**The Underland Gag Reels and Judith the Halflander are now first priority. Moulin Rouge and FMA...**

**I'll try to work on those too.**

**Anyway, back from the romote recesses of my mind, please welcome, the amazing...**

**Sharptongue and Ares!**

**Ares: Thank you, thank you!**

**Sharptongue: (mimicks sound of roaring crowd)**

**Start answering these comments.**

**Ares: (sigh) Fine.**

**Odriew: XD Yes. We know. :D**

**idestroyuall: Yeah, Black Widows suck. Luckily there aren't any where we are. Just little house spiders. GregorxStellovet? I wouldn't know who to feel sorry for. Gregor because he would have to touch her, or Stellovet because of the wrath of Luxa.**

**Sharptongue: **

**Moonlights BF: Ripred stole it. **

**On Edge: We missed you. (hugs)**

**Inkstink: Chloe, Maggie, etc. shall come up soon.**

**Well, everyone. Enjoy the chapter.**

Judith tapped anxiously on the desk, looking at the water clock every four seconds, each time expecting some enormous amount of time to have passed.

The stone room was hot and stuffy, one of the few places in Regalia that was. Pythagorea, their Nibbler teacher, continued to drone on about the War of Time, which everybody already knew about, seeing as how their parents, grandparents and their bonds had been part of it in one way or another.

Judith sighed, then did what everyone else was doing. It was bound to happen anyway. She laid her head down and slept.

--

Hamnet looked over at his sister and saw her sleeping. Did she think that was normal? She _never _slept in class. Though he could see where she was coming from. If they were to meet at midnight, they'd have to sleep before hand. He groaned, then closed his eyes. He'd been sleepy in this hot place anyway, and it didn't take long for him to relax in sleep.

--

Gregor sat with Luxa on Ares as they flew. His wound, though it looked horrific, hadn't been giving him too much trouble. But it felt weird, so his hand was pressed against it, and that seemed to worry Ares.

They were pretty close, though they'd come out of the Spinner land in a backwoods sort of place, and running away from the spiders sent them even farther into the backwoods. Ripred had said it would take a couple of days at the least.

"But I've read about it. With time comes complications. And since Gregor's foolish chivalry doesn't allow him to just go," he glared slightly at Gregor, who glared back. "There isn't a quick way to get him back. Either the bat or I will need to rest, no matter what we do."

So they opted on having Ares carry Gregor and Luxa, while Ripred ran closed behind. They were going pretty fast, but it was still incredibly slow, considering the speeds Ares could go. But they couldn't leave Ripred behind.

Gregor's hand tightened on the bite as it began to sting sharply. It had been aching before, and the sting took him by surprise.

It steadily grew. The sting turned to pain, rising until he was trembling uncontrollably, and he was drenched in sweat. He vaguely heard Luxa ask him, alarmed, if he was alright. He signed, with one hand, -_Peachy_-. Luxa called for Ripred to stop and Ares to land as the pain turned pink and green and hot and cold and altogether unbearable. One second everything was hot, the kind of heat you feel during a humid summer day, and the next it was freezing and he was trembling.

Ares landed, calling Gregor's name, sound hysterical. He probably looked like death warmed over.

Then, mercifully, Gregor blacked out.

--

"Why do you want your hair cut, dear?" The barber asked, shocked as he combed out the tangles in Judith's waist length blond hair.

"I do not know. Just… Times are changing, so I feel the need for a change. I am almost a woman, and Granny Solovet has spoken high praise of my fighting skills. I suppose I must look the part." She turned her head and smiled at the old mans dubious face. "Besides, what good is my hair? I hear that you have started something that uses hair to create wigs for children."

"Oh, yes. Many people have donated." He said, running his comb through her long hair once more.

"I would like to do that. If you do not mind. I wish for it all cut, Sir. I wish for it to be like Hamnets." The man smiled.

"As you wish, Princess."

--

At 6:00, Judith made like she was getting ready for bed. As she walked towards her family apartments, she ran into Colonel Roy.

The Colonel was, like Solovet, her teacher in army strategy. He taught her more than that, though. He taught her politics and how to stay one step ahead of everyone, not just the enemy outside but the enemy inside too. They usually played chess while he talked.

While they talked, he was dressed in his military uniform. Now, though, he was in his civilian clothing, and wet, having just come from the baths.

He stared, surprised, at Judith's very short hair.

"I see you have changed your look, Judith." He said slowly, a smile creeping on his face.

"Yes. I assume you have heard of Aurora and my parents?" She watched his expression carefully.

"Of course," he said, scratching his head awkwardly.

"Do you believe Aurora?" The tall man's eyes looked anywhere other than hers.

"Personally?" He asked. She nodded. He ran a hand through his metallic blond hair, his young, handsome face gaining color. He looked around, making sure no one was around besides them. Then he looked at her seriously. "I do." Judith smiled.

"As do I. I am glad someone of such high standards believes her. No one else seems to." The Colonel smiled, embarrassed.

"So… May I ask why you have changed your look?" He pointed at her hair.

"There is something of importance that I must do. And it requires my hair to be short." She said coolly. The Colonel's eyebrows raised, then narrowed shrewdly.

"Really? What?" Judith smirked.

"I do not wish to tell you." Roy sighed with irritation.

"I do not have time for this. Good night, Judith." He reached out and shook her hand formally. As he walked away, she blinked and opened her hand.

Inside was a small, golden key.

The key to the armory and weaponry.

Judith grinned.

She loved that man.

--

Judith sighed with irritation, very much like the Colonel had done six hours earlier.

Edward, Hamnet and Louka all stared in shock at Judith's head, pointing dumbly.

Judith glared and held up the bag of weapons and armor. "You know," she snapped. "You could at least notice this. Someone could get in a lot of trouble for it."

"Yes. Of course." Edward muttered, taking it and looking through it, taking out his weapons and armor.

A flutter of wings caused them to shove the stuff back into the bag. Just as Hermes entered the room, Hamnet scooted it behind him, out of sight.

"Ah, Judith. The Colonel said you would be here, having a slumber party. The message he sends is… perplexing. Hopefully you understand. He told me not to think about it too much." Judith laughed.

"What does he say?"

"He says, 'Do not loose light while under my charge; you are enough of pain without the paperwork.'" Judith's eyes flashed.

"Tell him, 'Fine. There's no way I'll die before you do, you good-for-nothing Colonel with a god-complex.'" Hermes laughed.

"If the rumors are true, and the ruder you are, the longer you live, you two shall live forever. I shall tell him." The bat flew off.

Judith watched him leave, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She turned.

"Let's go."

**(pumps fist) **

**I'm back, baby!**


End file.
